Therapeutic device



F. W. IVERSON ET AL THERAPEUTIC C DEVI GE Original led N v 2. 1921 s Sheets-Sheet i Fv W. HVERSSQN ET AL THERAPEUTIC DEVICE Original Filed N V- 2. 1921 3 Sheets-5heet 2 Oct. 5 1926.

F. w. IVERSON El AL- THERAPEUTIC DEVICE original Filed Nov. 2. 1921 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 v 142/6 i j figedez'z'of [2 1322072 Z74 7? 7i X23250);

Patented Oct. 5, 1926.

UNITED STATES I 1,602,196 PATENT OFFICE.

FREDERICK W. IVERSON AND ELLEN N. IVERSON, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

'rnnaarnurrc nnvr'on.

Application filed November 2, 1921, Serial No. 512,200. Renewed May 12, 1925.

Our invention relates totherapeutic devices and has for its object improvements in table upon which the patient lies horizontal ,ly. One section consists of a stationary ,rails 13 are boards 18 which carry motors head rest, and a second section consists of a stationary foot and leg rest. Between these are two oscillating sections. One of these is located under the patients shoulders, and the other under his hips. These moving tables or sections are preferably independently operable and independently adjustable.

In the accompanying drawings- Fig. 1 is a side elevation showing the two oscillating tables in different positions;

Fig. 2 is an enlarged section line 2-2 of Fig. 1 with table moving devices in neutral position;

' Fig. 3 is a similar section but with the table moving devices in operating position, and with parts broken away.

Fig. 4 is a section on line 4-4 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are details of some of the supporting and moving devices for the intermediate sections or tables.

The two oscillating tables or sections, with their driving mechanisms, are exactly alike, so that a description of the details of one will be a description of the details of both. The frame consistsof upright standards or legs 10 an'd"11, connected together by upper rails 12 and lower rails 13. 'The two sideszare connected together by cross ties which will be suitably indicated hereinafter.

The i'most of the parts so far'indicated are Y gear 37 causes a. rotation of the screw-33 to of angle iron, but may be of any form.

Secured at one end of the rails 12 are brackets 14 which carry the cushioned head rest 15. At the other end of rails 12 are brackets 16 which carry leg rest 17. On the and 20. Y a

On the rails 13 are pairs of channel irons 21 and 22.- On one channel 21 is a bracket 23 which carries ashaft 24, and on this shaft is a worm 25 which engages a wormgear 26.

The worm 25 is driven by a belt 27 mounted on ulleys on motor 20 a nd shaft 24.

ecured between the channels 21 is a spindle 2 9.

bridge v28 which serves as a bearing for a spindle 29, on the lower end of which is secured the worm gear '26. The upper end of spindle 29 is formed into a fork having arms 30 and 31 which extend different distances from the prolonged axis of spindle 29. The upper ends of arms 30 and 31 form bearings for a horizontal shaft 32 having a screw thread 33 formed on its central part. On the shaft 32 .is a nut 34 arranged to fit the screw 33 but capable-of running beyond either end of the thread, in whichcase the nut will rest upon the unthreaded part of shaft 32. On the shaft next to the bearings are springs 35 which act to push the nut toward the thread 33 whenever said nut is run ofi of said thread. a 1

On the shaft 32 is a gear 36 which meshes with another gear 37 on the end of a short shaft supported in bearing 38 on arm 31. On the other end of this short shaft is a bevel gear 39. The spindle 29 is hollow, and thru it passes a rod 40 having secured on its up per end two bevel. gears 41 and 42 arranged to engage gear 39. In normal position, the gears 41 and 42 are out of engagement with gear 39 but either 41 'or 42 may be brought 1nto engagement with gear 39 by a proper longitudinal movement of rod 40. Pivoted in brackets 43 on one rail 13 is a hand lever 44, the lowerarm 45 of which is provided with a fork 46 which engages a pin 47 in the block 48 fast on the lower end of rod 40. By moving the lever 44 in either direction from its mid-position, the rod 40 is raised or lowered and at the same time is restr n" from turning. If such a movement of lever 44 be made when the motor is driving the spindle 29, the gear 39 will be in engagement with and will travel around a stationary gear 141 or 42) with the result that gears 39 and 37 will turnon their axis. The rotation of move nut 34 thereon. If gear 41 engages gear 39, then the screw 33 turns in one direc tion. If gear 42 e ge's gear 39, then the screw is turned in t e opposite direction. Figs. 2 and 3 show the nut 34 at its extreme positions. In either of these positions the adjacent spring 35 acts to push the nut toward the thread so thatthe two readily engage each otherwhen theshaft is turned in the proper direction.- For convenience it may be said that the 32 turns upon its own axis,

and swingsupon the axis of the,

The apparatus just described is in duplicate as shown in Figs. 1 and 4. Over each one ofthese is a pair of cross ties 49 spaced a short distance from each other and so located that the center of the space between a pair'of them will be directly above the center of the corresponding spindle 29. On a pair of ties 49 are brackets 50 for supporting a pin 51 which carries the gimbal 52. Supported on the ends of the other pin 53, which runs thru the gimbal 52 in a direction perpendicular to pin 51, is a fork 54 having wings 55 projecting laterally from its bearings. Secured to the wings on one of these forks is the cushion 56 which constitutes the section located under the shoulders of the patient, and secured to the wings of the other fork is the cushion 57 which constitutes the hip or central supporting section. These two sections are alike so that a description of the construction and operation of one of them applies in the same way to the other.

When the fork 54 swings on the pivot 53, the corresponding section is tilted to an angle transverse to the length of the table, as shown at 57 in Fig. 1. When the fork swings on pivot 51, the section is tilted transversely, as shown in Fig. 3. Vhen the fork swings on both pivots simultaneously, the tilt of the section is a compound of the two. Double pivot joints like this are sometimes referred to as gimbal joints, and sometimes as universal joints.

The nut 34 is provided with lugs thru which passes a bolt 58, and pivoted on this bolt is a plunger 59 arranged to rotate and reciprocate in a socket 60 in the lower part of fork 54. Connected in this way the nut 34 is held from turning when the shaft 32 turns, but the sliding connection between plunger 59 and socket 60 permits the nut to move longitudinally on the shaft. When the nut 34 is in such a position that the axis of the plunger 59 coincides with the axis of the spindle 29, the turning of said spindle causes a corresponding turning of the plunger 59 without in any way affecting the position of the corresponding section 56 or 57. This position is shown in Fig. 2, and for section 56 in Fig. 1. When the nut is moved from the center position shown in Fig. 2 to some other position on the shaft 32, the said nut travels in a circle around the prolonged axis of the spindle 29, and this circular movement causes the fork 54 to swing on both gimbal pivots 51 and 53. This gives the corresponding section of table an oscillatory movement in all horizontal directions, the amount of the oscillations beng determined by the diameter of the circle 1n which the nut 34 travels. In Fig. 3 the nut isat its extreme position, and the corresponding table section is given its extreme oscillations. At 57 in Fig. 1 the nut is at an intermediate position and the section is given a less oscillation. In Fig. 2 and at 56 in Fig. 1, the nut is in center position, and the section does not oscillate at all. The oscillations here defined consist in giving the table a tilt and causing the direction of the tilt to sweep around the horizon.

The two sections 56 and 57 are shown as .driven by independent motors. That, how

ever, is a more detail as both may be driven from the same motor by any suitable connections. The two sections may be operated at the same speed, but preferably they operate at different speeds, or so that the two movements do not synchronize with each other.

In normal position sections 56 and 57 are horizontal as shown in Fig. 2, and the patient is placed on the table with these sections in this position. In this condition the starting of the motors rotates the spindles 29v but this does not affect the sections 56 or 57 as both nuts 34 are in center position. lYhile thus running the operator may move one of the handles 44 from mid-position so as to cause one of the gears on rod 4-0 to engage gear 39, and this in turn will retate shaft 32 to move nut 34 from mid-position. By returning the lever 4-4 to its midposition he may stop the nut at any desired position on shaft 32. If the resultant oscillation of the table section is too great, a movement of the nut in the opposite direction may be effected by moving the lever in the other direction for a brief period. In other words, the operator has complete control over the degree or range of oscillation by the mere movement of the lever in one direction or the other, and the same is true for both sections. No damage can occur by reason of holding the lever too long at either extreme as the nut simply runs off of the screw and comes to rest.

What we claim is 1. In a device of the class described, a table top, a pivotalsupport therefor, a projection extending downward from said table top, a power .device provided with connections for moving the lower end of the projection in a circle, and means for chang ing the diameter of the circle while the projection is being so moved.

2. In a device of the class described, a table tilting mechanism consisting of a shaft having a screw thread thereon, means for moving said shaft about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, a nut mounted upon. the thread on the shaft, a connection from the nut to the parts to be tilted, and means for turning said shaft on its axis while the shaft is being moved about the axis perpendicular thereto.

3. In a device of the class described, a screw threaded shaft arranged to be moved about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, a power device for so moving it, a nut upon the shaft, a table top provided with connections to the nut so arranged that a movement of the shaft about the perpendicular axis will tilt the table top, and means for connecting the power device so as to turn the shaft upon its own axis.

4. In a device of the class described, a screw threaded shaft arranged to bemoved about an axis perpendicular to the axis of the shaft, a power device for so movingit, a nut upon the shaft, reversible connections from the power device to the shaft so that it may be turned in either direction on its axis to shift the position of the nut, and table top" moving devicesconnected to said nut.

V 5. In a device of the class described, a screw threaded shaft and a driving shaft-so located that the axis of the first is intersected by the prolonged axis of the second, bearings for the screw threaded shaft located on opposite sides of the point of intersection and carried by the driving shaft, a nut mounted on the threads of the threaded shaft and movable to and from the point of intersection by the turning of the screw, and table operating devicesconnected to said nut.

6. In a therapeutic device, a screw arranged to be turned upon its axis and to be swung upon an intersecting axis perpendicular to the axis of the screw, driving mechanism arranged to swing said screw, gears by which the driving mechanism serves to turn the shaft, and manually operated means for connecting and disconnecting said gears. 7. In a therapeutic device, a screw arranged to turn upon one axis and to swing upon another, power devices arranged to v swing the'screw Without turning it, a nut mounted upon the screw, table tipping devices connected to the nut, means for connecting the screw to the power devices so that it may be turned while being swung,- and manually operated means for controlling such connection.

8. In the table moving mechanism of a therapeutic device, a shaft having ascrew thread on its central portion, a nut on said screw, means for swinging said shaft as described, means for turning the shaft to move the nut to any position on the screw or to positions on the shaft beyond the screw, and

springs acting to push the nut toward the screw.

9. In a device of the class described, a table section, means for giving thesection a tilt and causing the direction of the tilt to sweep around the horizon, a power device for operating-said sectio'n, and means for varying the degree of tiltfrom zero to a maximum of several degrees while said section is in continuous motion.v

FREDERICK WV. IVERSON. ELLEN N. IVERSON. 

